Look Up, Batavia! A Walking Tour of Batavia, New York
By Doug Gelbert
()
About this ebook
There is no better way to see America than on foot. And there is no better way to appreciate what you are looking at than with a walking tour. Whether you are preparing for a road trip or just out to look at your own town in a new way, a downloadable walking tour is ready to explore when you are.
Each walking tour describes historical and architectural landmarks and provides pictures to help out when those pesky street addresses are missing. Every tour also includes a quick primer on identifying architectural styles seen on American streets.
Batavia, is the largest town in Genesee County, both in point of territory and population, and sited practically at its center. The original town of Batavia included practically the entire Holland Purchase, a swath of three million acres bought from Continental Army financier Robert Morris. The lands from that purchase would eventually form ten New York counties. The town was formed by act of the Legislature, March 30, 1802. Batavia village, the county seat, is situated in the east half of the town and was founded in 1802 by Joseph Ellicott, surveyor and sub-agent for the land company.
Ellicott erected an office from which to direct his operations at the junction of the old Genesee Road and Tonawanda Creek, where two great Indian trails crossed. Ellicott proposed naming the place Bustia or Bustiville after the company’s general agent, Paul Busti but the honoree demurred, objecting that it sounded a tad ferocious, and proposed Batavia, the name of the Dutch republic to which the proprietors belonged.
Batavia’s early promise as a distribution hub in western New York was dashed when it was bypassed by the routers of the Erie Canal. Several decades later those hopes were rekindled when the railroads came through, following those old trade routes. Batavia developed into a lively industrial and trading center. Smack in the center of a bustling agricultural area, the town became known for the manufacture of tractors and agricultural implements with the largest manufacturer, Johnson Harvester Company setting up shop in 1868. Other products produced here included ladies’ shoes, paper boxes, shoe dyes and polishes, and flavoring extracts.
Batavia followed a familiar script in the 20th century - industries drifted away, downtown shriveled up, buildings sacrificed. In 1982 a core of civic buildings, including Joseph Ellicott’s land office, were declared a United States historic district. That’s where our explorations will center and we’ll begin at a small downtown park right next door...
Read more from Doug Gelbert
A Walking Tour of Miami Beach, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New York City's Upper West Side Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Walking Tour of The New Orleans French Quarter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of A Salem, Massachusetts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Tucson, Arizona! A Walking Tour of Tucson, Arizona Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Savannah! A Walking Tour of Savannah, Georgia Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Look Up, Chicago! A Walking Tour of The Loop (North End) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Aiken, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Pittsburgh's Business District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, San Diego! A Walking Tour of Balboa Park Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5A Walking Tour of New York City's Upper East Side Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Boise! A Walking Tour of Boise, Idaho Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Greensboro, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Long Beach! A Walking Tour of Long Beach, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New York City's Financial District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Beaufort, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Oakland! A Walking Tour of Oakland, California Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Meadville, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Georgetown, South Carolina Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5A Walking Tour of St. Augustine, Florida Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Madison! A Walking Tour of Madison, Wisconsin Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Walking Tour of Washington's National Mall Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Staunton, Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Gettysburg! A Walking Tour of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Williamsburg, Virginia Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Look Up, Salem! A Walking Tour of Salem, Oregon Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Washington's Capitol Hill District Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of New Bern, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Detroit! A Walking Tour of Grand Circus Park Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Look Up, Batavia! A Walking Tour of Batavia, New York
Related ebooks
A Walking Tour of Pittsfield, Massachusetts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Houston! A Walking Tour of Houston, Texas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Huntsville, Alabama Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Boise! A Walking Tour of Boise, Idaho Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Farmington, Connecticut Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Buffalo! A Walking Tour of Buffalo, New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Orangeburg, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Fitchburg, Massachusetts Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Walterboro, South Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLafayette Square Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Walking Tour of Washington's Lafayette Square Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Wilson, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Kansas City! A Walking Tour of The Central Business District: East of Main Street Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, St. Louis! A Walking Tour of Downtown Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Augusta! A Walking Tour of Augusta, Maine Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEaston Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Auburn, New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Mobile, Alabama Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Louisville! A Walking Tour of Louisville, Kentucky Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Lancaster, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Youngstown! A Walking Tour of Youngstown, Ohio Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Indianapolis! A Walking Tour of Indianapolis, Indiana Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Little Rock! A Walking Tour of Little Rock, Arkansas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Raleigh, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Madison! A Walking Tour of Madison, Wisconsin Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Walking Tour of Leesburg, Virginia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLook Up, Olympia! A Walking Tour of Olympia, Washington Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Washington, Pennsylvania Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Tarboro, North Carolina Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Walking Tour of Poughkeepsie, New York Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
United States Travel For You
Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase for Lincoln's Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Solace of Open Spaces: Essays Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of the Donner Party Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/550 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Huckleberry Finn Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dakota: A Spiritual Geography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lost Continent: Travels in Small Town America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Witch Queens, Voodoo Spirits, and Hoodoo Saints: A Guide to Magical New Orleans Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Haunted Road Atlas: Sinister Stops, Dangerous Destinations, and True Crime Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's Best Weekend Road Trips Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Deepest South of All: True Stories from Natchez, Mississippi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How To Be Alone: an 800-mile hike on the Arizona Trail Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Magical Power of the Saints: Evocation and Candle Rituals Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's Bucket List USA: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConnecticut Witch Trials: The First Panic in the New World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland 2024 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOne Man's Wilderness, 50th Anniversary Edition: An Alaskan Odyssey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Will the Circle Be Unbroken?: A Memoir of Learning to Believe You’re Gonna Be Okay Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Solomon's Builders: Freemasons, Founding Fathers and the Secrets of Washington D.C. Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Forest Walking: Discovering the Trees and Woodlands of North America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fodor's Best Road Trips in the USA: 50 Epic Trips Across All 50 States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Assassination Vacation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Insight Guides Alaska (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Unofficial Guide to Las Vegas Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor’s Alaska Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lake Superior Rocks & Minerals Field Guide Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGreen Mountain Ghosts, Ghouls & Unsolved Mysteries Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Look Up, Batavia! A Walking Tour of Batavia, New York
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Look Up, Batavia! A Walking Tour of Batavia, New York - Doug Gelbert
A Walking Tour of Batavia, New York
a walking tour in the Look Up, America series from walkthetown.com
by Doug Gelbert
published by Cruden Bay Books at Smashwords
Copyright 2010 by Cruden Bay Books
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the Publisher.
Batavia, is the largest town in Genesee County, both in point of territory and population, and sited practically at its center. The original town of Batavia included practically the entire Holland Purchase, a swath of three million acres bought from Continental Army financier Robert Morris. The lands from that purchase would eventually form ten New York counties. The town was formed by act of the Legislature, March 30, 1802. Batavia village, the county seat, is situated in the east half of the town and was founded in 1802 by Joseph Ellicott, surveyor and sub-agent for the land company.